1. Rice
2. Toasted bread under the broiler
3. Hard boiled eggs
The hard boiled eggs issue has been remedied for the most part thanks to the electric kettle, but no matter how many times or ways I try to make my rice perfect, it's always wet and/or sticky! The bread is merely a function of watching it, and unfortunately I have plenty of distractions to help with that! Maybe I should try that ready rice that might be more difficult to mess up!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
I'm a Terrible Hostess
Audrey's birthday is Monday and we're having a party on Sunday because my grandparents will be in town. The sad part is that I'm mainly doing the party out of obligation/guilt because I want it to be "fair" for her to have one, since I did one for Samuel. His first birthday party is the reason that I hate hosting birthday parties, which is the one thing that keeps me from wanting more kids, although it's not a good enough one.
Brad is such a social person, which I am not. I get so stressed about the details of the party that I obviously cannot enjoy one second of it, but he spends the whole time chatting with his buddies and having a good time. I also worry intensely about getting all of the memories of the party captured on film/video. At Samuel's first birthday party, I was so nervous about getting everything set up in just the right spot that I dropped our video camera and broke the battery. I'm so thankful that my Dad dug up his old camcorder and was able to get video anyway (plus he later fixed my battery!). Last year I was only able to get anything documented because Audrey slept literally the entire party. I will admit that I pretty much forgot that she even existed for about an hour due to my stress level. I realize this may take me out of the running for Mother of the Year.
Anyway, I am not at all looking forward to the actual party on Sunday, although I have been spending ample time reading about hosting parties and decorating cakes. I am making the cake myself this afternoon after I get a few z's when I get home from work. Praying it works out.
I found this humorous list that I wish I would've read before having kids:
Please, if you are the type of mother that I am, learn from my mistakes. In the interest of promoting family sanity, I offer my humble list of suggestions for surviving birthday parties:
1. Never ever have children born in the winter. Indoor parties are to be avoided at all costs.
2. Do not let any siblings within a 500 mile radius of the house. They are major party saboteurs. They have been known to blow out the birthday boy's candles.
3. Don't expect any activity to go as planned. My friend made 360 water balloons for her child's fifth birthday, invited six kids, and expected the kids to play with the balloons for an hour. The balloons were all popped ten minutes later.
4. Do as my friend Tamar does. Birthday parties make her so anxious that she tries to postpone them until the next year.
5. Buy your kid ten small presents. She'll never miss the party.
Brad is such a social person, which I am not. I get so stressed about the details of the party that I obviously cannot enjoy one second of it, but he spends the whole time chatting with his buddies and having a good time. I also worry intensely about getting all of the memories of the party captured on film/video. At Samuel's first birthday party, I was so nervous about getting everything set up in just the right spot that I dropped our video camera and broke the battery. I'm so thankful that my Dad dug up his old camcorder and was able to get video anyway (plus he later fixed my battery!). Last year I was only able to get anything documented because Audrey slept literally the entire party. I will admit that I pretty much forgot that she even existed for about an hour due to my stress level. I realize this may take me out of the running for Mother of the Year.
Anyway, I am not at all looking forward to the actual party on Sunday, although I have been spending ample time reading about hosting parties and decorating cakes. I am making the cake myself this afternoon after I get a few z's when I get home from work. Praying it works out.
I found this humorous list that I wish I would've read before having kids:
Please, if you are the type of mother that I am, learn from my mistakes. In the interest of promoting family sanity, I offer my humble list of suggestions for surviving birthday parties:
1. Never ever have children born in the winter. Indoor parties are to be avoided at all costs.
2. Do not let any siblings within a 500 mile radius of the house. They are major party saboteurs. They have been known to blow out the birthday boy's candles.
3. Don't expect any activity to go as planned. My friend made 360 water balloons for her child's fifth birthday, invited six kids, and expected the kids to play with the balloons for an hour. The balloons were all popped ten minutes later.
4. Do as my friend Tamar does. Birthday parties make her so anxious that she tries to postpone them until the next year.
5. Buy your kid ten small presents. She'll never miss the party.
Friday, June 12, 2009
I will bless the Lord forever
I will trust Him at all times
He has delivered me from all fear
He has set my feet upon a rockI will not be moved
And I'll say of the Lord
You are my shield, my strength
My portion, deliverer
My shelter, strong tower
My very present help in time of need
Whom have I in heaven but You
There's none I desire beside You
You have made me glad
And I'll say of the Lord
You are my shield, my strength
My portion, deliverer
My shelter, strong tower
My very present help in time of need
I have liked this song for a long time and it also is partly based on one of my favorite Scripture passage, Psalm 73. In addition, we sang it at Tucker Beam's funeral last week. I think seeing his Mom singing this song while holding Tucker's favorite blanket in her arms was one of the most worshipful moments I've ever seen.
I will trust Him at all times
He has delivered me from all fear
He has set my feet upon a rockI will not be moved
And I'll say of the Lord
You are my shield, my strength
My portion, deliverer
My shelter, strong tower
My very present help in time of need
Whom have I in heaven but You
There's none I desire beside You
You have made me glad
And I'll say of the Lord
You are my shield, my strength
My portion, deliverer
My shelter, strong tower
My very present help in time of need
I have liked this song for a long time and it also is partly based on one of my favorite Scripture passage, Psalm 73. In addition, we sang it at Tucker Beam's funeral last week. I think seeing his Mom singing this song while holding Tucker's favorite blanket in her arms was one of the most worshipful moments I've ever seen.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Sorrow
Work has been difficult this week, probably more so than I can ever remember. I had cared for a precious patient off and on these past few weeks who died while I was caring for him last night. It was not unexpected and it was peaceful, but yet wonderful and terrible at the same time. He had been sick with cancer for a long time but not suffering as some I've seen, except for a few days, really. He took a turn for the worse early in the evening and stopped breathing shortly after midnight. It is hard to know how you feel in that type of situation. I did not want him to suffer and did not want his parents to suffer watching him, but I selfishly didn't want to be the one caring for him as he passed onto Heaven. His parents expressed that they knew he was tired and wanted him to be free, so it was joyful and yet excruciatingly painful when he died. His face really showed that being absent from the body is to present with the Lord. He had been having breathing issues for a few hours, although we believe he was comfortable when he took his last breath, and his expression was more of a smile than I've ever seen on anyone when they died. He was such an incredibly precious child and my heart is absolutely broken to think of the pain they are experiencing and will experience every day until they are reunited with him in Eternity.
I realized two things about myself on my way home from work after all of that. First, I do not live in reality pretty much ever. When I'm at work, I think about home as little as possible, and vice versa at home. I think I would probably lose it if I thought about all of the pain that I see people going through here at the hospital while I am at home with my family. I do think about my family while I'm at work, but only in the context of home stuff. I cannot think about them in relation to my job. I know that's bizarre because the truth of the matter is that my kids could get cancer, too, but again, I would lose it if I were to acknowledge that to myself. I am having a hard time seeing how painful life can be and is for so many people around me.
The second thing I realized is that if I am completely honest with myself and with the Lord, I would rather be selfish and have them remain healthy and anonymous and with Brad and I than to let them be used by the Lord the way my patient's life was (and still is). His parents absolutely never spent time complaining or feeling sorry for themselves, but when he was uncomfortable and struggling to breathe for a while, his mom did say that she didn't see how one could be expected to watch your child suffer through cancer and then watch them die. I can't help but agree. I literally cannot fathom waking up every single day for the rest of my life missing my child. I honestly would rather keep them to myself, even though I know they are not mine to begin with. I guess that's something I need to work on.
I realized two things about myself on my way home from work after all of that. First, I do not live in reality pretty much ever. When I'm at work, I think about home as little as possible, and vice versa at home. I think I would probably lose it if I thought about all of the pain that I see people going through here at the hospital while I am at home with my family. I do think about my family while I'm at work, but only in the context of home stuff. I cannot think about them in relation to my job. I know that's bizarre because the truth of the matter is that my kids could get cancer, too, but again, I would lose it if I were to acknowledge that to myself. I am having a hard time seeing how painful life can be and is for so many people around me.
The second thing I realized is that if I am completely honest with myself and with the Lord, I would rather be selfish and have them remain healthy and anonymous and with Brad and I than to let them be used by the Lord the way my patient's life was (and still is). His parents absolutely never spent time complaining or feeling sorry for themselves, but when he was uncomfortable and struggling to breathe for a while, his mom did say that she didn't see how one could be expected to watch your child suffer through cancer and then watch them die. I can't help but agree. I literally cannot fathom waking up every single day for the rest of my life missing my child. I honestly would rather keep them to myself, even though I know they are not mine to begin with. I guess that's something I need to work on.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Size doesn't matter, but still...
I've been intending to make this post for well over 3 months, and I am proud to finally be getting around to it. It is unbelievable how incredibly hectic life is right now!
Anyway, I am obviously a semi-grown-up girl, and have thought off and on for the past several years that the clothing industry has an evil conspiracy going in which the clothes themselves are shrinking while the sizes are remaining the same. I frankly don't worry too much about the size of my pants, but sometimes it makes me sad when I try on something I'm considering purchasing and it's obviously not happening (as Samuel would say, "Nope!"), even though the size is the same as something I already own in that brand. All that to say - I have becoming even more convinced of this evil conspiracy by the clothing industry since giving birth to my daughter. My children have both always been on the higher ends of the growth curve, Samuel much moreso than Audrey. He was bursting out of the seams of 0-3 month sleepers when he was 6 weeks old, but I still had this weird desire to keep him in those clothes until he was 3 months old! It didn't work very well, and I finally realized when he was 6 months old that I needed to just put him into clothes that fit him, which were 12-18 month size at the time. Now he's at the weight for 4T, even though he's only 2! Anyway that is not my main point.
As Audrey has grown, I've noticed that her outfits have very different weight ranges for the same size of clothing, depending on the age of the piece. My precious friend Karis gave us a ton of clothes the day before Audrey was born which she had from her daughter's infancy in late 2005 to early 2006 (which is not that long ago!). The newer clothes that I received at the showers we were given for Audrey are obviously from late 2008. I have other things from the thrift store and garage sales, but none of them are older than probably 3 years ago. Anyway, here is proof that even carter's expects their infant girl customers to be "slimmer" now than they were 3 years ago:
2008
Anyway, I am obviously a semi-grown-up girl, and have thought off and on for the past several years that the clothing industry has an evil conspiracy going in which the clothes themselves are shrinking while the sizes are remaining the same. I frankly don't worry too much about the size of my pants, but sometimes it makes me sad when I try on something I'm considering purchasing and it's obviously not happening (as Samuel would say, "Nope!"), even though the size is the same as something I already own in that brand. All that to say - I have becoming even more convinced of this evil conspiracy by the clothing industry since giving birth to my daughter. My children have both always been on the higher ends of the growth curve, Samuel much moreso than Audrey. He was bursting out of the seams of 0-3 month sleepers when he was 6 weeks old, but I still had this weird desire to keep him in those clothes until he was 3 months old! It didn't work very well, and I finally realized when he was 6 months old that I needed to just put him into clothes that fit him, which were 12-18 month size at the time. Now he's at the weight for 4T, even though he's only 2! Anyway that is not my main point.
As Audrey has grown, I've noticed that her outfits have very different weight ranges for the same size of clothing, depending on the age of the piece. My precious friend Karis gave us a ton of clothes the day before Audrey was born which she had from her daughter's infancy in late 2005 to early 2006 (which is not that long ago!). The newer clothes that I received at the showers we were given for Audrey are obviously from late 2008. I have other things from the thrift store and garage sales, but none of them are older than probably 3 years ago. Anyway, here is proof that even carter's expects their infant girl customers to be "slimmer" now than they were 3 years ago:
2008
2005
Obviously 1.5 lbs is not a huge difference in the grand scheme of things, but as these small modifications add up, you end up with newer 12 month outfits with weight ranges similar to the "old" standard weight for 6 month outfits!
It just makes me sad for my daughter, thinking about all of the ridiculous pressure society is already putting on her to be small - and it won't get any easier!
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